Let Sleeping Dogs
by Tubbie
Summary: A small event after 'End Game'.


TITLE: Let Sleeping Dogs …  
RATING: T or 18+ whatever,  
BETAed by: Brynna (beta's rock! Especially this one)  
ARCHIVE: Anyone who would like. Drop me a line so I can visit.  
SYNOPSIS: Bobby deals with his mother's death.  
COMMENTS: Alex shares with Bobby.  
DISCLAIMER: Everything relating to Criminal Intent is owned by Dick Wolf and NBC productions, the USA network and Yadda, Yadda, and Sons.

"Have any arrangements been made?" Captain Ross's statement still rang in detective Eames's head.

"Not yet" she answered. Her mind was overtaxed and her essence drained from the weeks events. Her only concern now was to get to her partner and help him make those arrangements. As bad as she felt, she knew if Bobby had a breaking point to what he could stand, he was surely now pass that point. Returning to her desk, she quickly gathered her things and headed toward the elevators.

Her partner had spent every waking hour out side of work tying to improve his mother's medical status. By doing all he could, he hoped to prolong her inevitable demise. He had researched her medical options, arranged for her care. As her condition deteriorated, he'd searched out alternative treatments and looked into her participation as a test subject in untested medical procedures. He had always provided for her. Since his youth he could recall looking after her more and more as her mental state worsen year after year. With his dad long out of the picture and his only brother off somewhere fighting his own demons, Robert Goren had taken the family burden squarely upon his shoulders.

He had been fighting so hard to save her, he was blindsided by her decision to stop fighting. She had said, "No. No more. Enough!" He didn't want to give up. But he realized he wasn't giving up. It was his mother's struggle not his. But to do nothing, it was maddening. He had to honor her request, and do the only thing left to do. Be with her, comfort her, and let her die.

The echoes of her clicking heals faded as she stopped to wait at the elevators doors. Alex was anxious to see how Bobby was doing. She was tamping down the anger she had wanted to unleash at Brady. Just thinking about the labors that her partner was dealing with and how the Mark Ford Brady case had every indication of being the straw to snap the camel's back made her teeth clench. She had let Goren go see that bastard Brady, on his own, one last time. She had every intention of doing whatever it would take to keep Bobby from dealing with that mind game playing loathsome ass. But then, then her partner had simply and calmly said, "You're going to have to trust me." His body language was screaming 'I am losing it,' but he had said the one thing that would carry the most weight with Alex. _Trust me_ was the declaration that was the bedrock of their partnership. Nothing else in the universe could have been said or done that would have let her let him go. Mark Ford Brady. Sadistic serial killer and all around manipulative SOB, Brady was just trying to buy himself more time by doling out information on the locations of his unsolved murder victims. But, when Brady found out there was no time to be bargained for, he decided to have some fun before he left by tormenting Goren.

Alex knew that serial killers looked for an advantage by finding a weakness or vulnerability to prey upon. Brady could read Goren as good as Goren could read any preps. A cat and mouse play that under different circumstances, Brady would have gotten his ass handed to him. But Brady had the upper hand; he could perceive how beaten and drained this detective was, a chink in the armor he could use to rip his way in for some sick fun. See if he could destroy one more soul before he had to go. In prison there were countless ways to get knowledge on people, places and things. Brady had the time and resources to dig up lots of information on Goren long before he had asked Wally to get the detective to see him. Alex knew Brady was trying to get Bobby to snap, what with Brady planting hints that he knew Goren's mother, and maybe more.

Finally the elevator doors opened to reveal Dr. Elizabeth Rodgers, Chief Medical Examiner at Police Plaza One.

"Alex, just who I was looking for."

Eames shook her head, confusion plainly readable on her features.

Rodgers stepped out of the elevator and handed a folder to Eames. "Your partner requested this."

Alex stared at the sealed folder in her hands and stepped pass the doctor to enter the elevator. "This the Brady case?" Alex looked up from the folder and turns to address the redheaded doctor. "Did you ID another female victim?"

Rodgers folded her arms and replied, "Brady case yes, female no. The results are on two unknown males."

Eames knit her brow; what with being over tired it took her a few seconds longer than normal to figure out what and who this file was about.

"Detective, are you okay?"

Eames was too drained to present her normal deadpan stance. Not wanting Rodgers to ask any pertinent questions, it was time for a quick adjustment.

"Yeah, I'm fine; my mind was just on other things." She flashed a quick sad smile, "I really need to catch up with Goren right now."

The doctor reached back to stop the elevator door from closing. "Did his mom…"

"Yeah" Alex punched the lobby button. "I'm on my way there now."

Rogers stepped back and gave a knowing shake of her head to Alex as the doors close between them.

Robert Goren sat in the dark and empty hospital room. _It goes on forever. Then in a snap, a blink it's all gone. A new environment takes its place, somehow all familiar, but different and cold. _His quiet introspection was shattered by the door opening and the nurse reminding him of the real world, the world that was outside this room marching on.

"I'm sorry, visiting hours are, um, I mean its time…"

"I know. I'd just like to stay here a little while." The light faded as the door slowly shut the world out, again.

He had been here, how long? An hour, two hours, it didn't matter. It felt like days. He knew he needed to go, but by going he was closing a door that could never be opened again. He knew his mom was gone and staying or not staying wasn't going to change the reality of her being dead. He was tired to the point he was lost. Lost about what to do next and after that and… It was exhausting to even think.

The door opened again and he sighed. _Did I lose another hour that quickly?_

Alex put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a light squeeze. "I got here as soon as I could. Where's your brother?"

_With no inheritance to collect he has scampered off, leaving me to clean up._

_People just don't change. How reassuring the predictable human mind set is._

"He, uh well, his wife, and, I just told him to go ahead and be with her," Bobby dropped his head down and stared at the floor. "I, well, since I don't have anyone waiting for me, so, it was ok for him to go. I told him I could handle this."

"Bobby, I'm here for you." Alex crouched down to be level with his seated and hunched over form.

"Oh, God, Eames, Alex I didn't mean," _Goren you are such an idiot._ "You know how much I appreciate you; I mean I really need…" He looked up at her and his eyes conveyed what his words were failing to do.

"Hey, hey." Alex wrapped her hands around his hand and held it tight. "Bobby, you are exhausted and we don't need words, do we?"

Bobby nodded, and a tinge of a grin started to form at the corner of his lips. _If I lean, I will fall. And I'll never be the same. I can't let Alex see me this weak. I can't let her prop me up, it would be asking too much of a friend, I need more than a friend and I can't risk any mistakes now. Time to put up a wall._

He almost looked as if he would smile, but he denied himself that relief. "I, I have some loose ends to tie up, and it has been a long week, I guess you probably have things to do and I understand you need to go..."

"You don't know what I need." Alex stood, releasing the grasp of his hand. "And I am not going to tell you how you feel."

Bobby was too stunned to answer. Her words reminded him of his terse conversation that ended with Captain Ross taking him off this case. Until this moment he hadn't even thought about how Alex talked the captain into letting him stay on the case. She saved his ass, and he hadn't even thanked her. He watched her cross the room to drag a chair over and place it in front of him. "Here" She handed him a paper he scanned over quickly and looks up at her with a mixture of confusion and amazement upon his features.

"Will this work?" she asked, her tone a mixture of command and concern.

He nodded that it would._ I can't help it. I'm leaning._

"I'll be right back." Alex took the paper back and walked away to the door.

The room was flooded briefly with light from the world, then back to darkness until she returned._ While I was here she plotted out all the details, she knew who and where and what to be set in motion. Now that information is being put into action with some instructions for the nurse's station and a phone call. Again she was there for me, letting me lean. I'm too far over, I'm going to fall._

Alex returned and sat in front of Bobby. They were both too tired for tension or awkwardness to be present. They just tried to find calm in the stillness that is this room's environment. They took this brief moment to awe at the eye of the cyclone before it hit again. Alex knew he was in a mental rut and she needed to push him on. _Time to dive back into the spinning world._

"Bobby, you told the Captain he didn't know what you needed or who you are or how you think. Over our time together you have told me all of those things, most of those without saying a word."

Bobby tilted his head to the left as he listened.

"It has been a long time ago." Alex looked about the room and recalls memories of another place. "But it took more than time to make it the past." Alex paused and clasped her hands together, an action to help center her weary body. "I sat in a room like this one, in a hospital like this. I was alone. I was numb to the world out side these walls. All I wanted was for it all to change back to the day before. I just couldn't believe Joe was gone. I opened my hands." Almost as a reflect action Alex turned her hands palms up and stared down at them. "I just stared at his badge." She looked up at Bobby. "The blood, his wet blood was still on it."

_Oh God, she must really be worried. She never has told me this much about him, she is ripping a piece of her past out of her heart for me. I'm falling, God help me I'm falling it's wrong of me and yet I know, I know she will catch me. _

Alex took a deep breath and sat up straight. "It was long ago, but sometimes it feels like it was yesterday. I can keep going because I have the memories. I will have them good and bad with me forever. For me the loss was sudden and it is over and done. You have been on this road for a long time; you have had time to prepare. It has ended Bobby."

Bobby shook his head. "No, there are questions and…"

"No, it is done!" Alex stood up and slammed down the folder the M.E. gave her. "You are not going to be tormented by that bastard from his grave."

Bobby realized that Alex knew what the file meant. "Does it matter Bobby? Will you love your brother less if he is your half-brother? Will it make it easy for you to dismiss him from your life because you can reason you have different fathers? You have the same mother, you are brothers."

"No, it's not like that, I, my brother always looked out for me; now I have to look out for him."

"What? You need to protect him from yourself?" Alex thought about tests. "You think this is going to change your life, somehow make you something you are not?" Alex picked the file up and shook it. "This has nothing to do with the man you are."

Alex sat back down and sighed. "I told Captain Ross if I thought you'd crossed a line I'd… Bobby, the fact you had the tests run proves Brady got to you. He messed with you where he knew it would do the most damage."

He sighed and started rubbing the back of his neck. "The sins of the fathers…"

Before he could continue Alex cut him off. "'The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son's iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.'"

Bobby was stunned by Alex's response. Still holding the file, she crossed her arms over her chest, smiling at him. "Lapsed alter boys aren't the only ones who go to Sunday school."

"Ezekiel 18:20." Bobby replied.

"Bobby, do you remember when you thought you lost me to a serial killer? How that felt? How that was going to change your life? I am not going to lose you to a serial killer who is going to hold onto you from beyond the grave."

"I don't care who your father is, it will not make you a better or lesser man. Here." Alex laid the file in his lap. "Please, you're going to have to trust me."

Bobby briefly stared at the sealed folder, then looked back up to Alex.

"It's late, Bobby. I'm tired and you are exhausted. We need to go home and rest. Tomorrow will have just as many questions and mysteries as yesterday did."

"Promise?" Bobby let a very slight grin get the better of him.

"Yes, I promise" She rose and motioned toward the door. "Please, it's time to go."

Bobby stood and stretched, trying to wring the weight of the day from his bones. He looked at the folder in his hand one last time before he tossed it into the waste basket. He extended his empty hand to Alex.

She grasped his hand, relieved by his actions. "Letting the dead bury the dead?"

He nodded. "Let sleeping dogs with their secrets lie."


End file.
